Brain-Training Is the New Fitness Craze

You may already log hours in the gym training your body, but soon you may also spend as much time training your brain. According to recent reports, "brain-training" is the newest exercise craze that helps to sharpen memory, reaction times, and improve concentration.

Lumosity is one of the most popular "brain-training" programs currently available on the Internet and as an iPhone and Android app. The logic behind Lumosity is that your brain needs to be exercised like any other muscle in the body. Lumosity creators Michael Scanlon, David Drescher, and Kunal Sakar created the brain-training program to fill the void in brain-training software. They claim that people end up using the program for very different reasons–from improving their on-the-job performance to preparing for boxing matches, like Montreal-based boxer Sylvera "Sly" Louis who used the software after getting severely knocked out in a previous match that could’ve ended his career for good.

Brain-training software like Lumosity uses "Gamification" or the notion of building game-like elements into non-gaming software. Users are allegedly never bored with Lumosity and instead get caught up in the playful and captivating experience. Early studies on the effectiveness of brain-training software suggest that it is effective in achieving its goals. In fact, researchers currently conducted a study of girls with Turner Syndrome, a condition that severely inhibits math abilities. After using brain-training software for six weeks, the girls’ math scores reached that of their peers. However, researchers say that more studies need to be conducted to gauge the effectiveness of Lumosity and other related brain-training products. For now, marketing analysts expect brain-training to sweep the fitness-crazed crowd, who will want to take advantage of the opportunity to work their bodies AND their brains.